


Back to One

by goldenfields



Series: lights, camera, action! [2]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Fake Dating, Falling In Love, Fluff, Getting Together, Lovesickness, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pining, actor!jaehyun, jaeyong kissing lol, self indulgent, slight angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-26
Updated: 2021-01-02
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:02:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 20,248
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28338900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/goldenfields/pseuds/goldenfields
Summary: Grunting, Taeyong pushes him away. “Hey,” he says, scowling. “That’s too much.”Jaehyun’s lips are swollen and red when he speaks. “Huh? I said one kiss, right? That’s only one. I still have four left.”or: jaeyong fake dating au
Relationships: Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Lee Taeyong
Series: lights, camera, action! [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2067081
Comments: 11
Kudos: 336





	1. Denial

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stage 1: Denial
> 
> Jaehyun and Taeyong’s first week of fake dating.

“Hyung! Is it true?!”

Taeyong winces and pulls his phone away from his ear. Morning light peeks through his curtains and spills in stripes against the wooden floor of his studio apartment. Mark’s voice tones down into a muffled sound, his shrieks mixing with the familiar tunes of the busy streets of Seoul from outside where chaos stems. Thick, gray sheets pool at the edge of his bed. He blinks once, twice, thinking whether to drop the call on Mark or put him on loud speaker and force another headache onto himself first thing in the morning. On a different day, he would let himself succumb to his cousin’s inquiries that occur at least once a week. He wonders if Mark only called him to fish out more information about the new releases for the month. Would his questions be about soloists this time? He’s only talked to Kim Doyoung twice yet.

“What?” Taeyong grumbles through the phone after a short moment of hesitation. He puts the call on loud speaker, and he lets out another groan when Mark’s screaming pierced right through his eyeballs and into his head. _Jesus fuck._

“Is it true?! Hyung?! You’re dating _him_?!”

Taeyong turns onto his side and plops his face onto his pillows. He doesn’t think he has enough energy for this. He thinks of dropping the call on him, but knowing Mark and just how persistent the kid is, it would probably be a futile attempt to keep his cousin contained on his side of the story. He slaps a hand onto his pillow, palming at the fabric repeatedly until he feels satisfied enough to croak a definite answer.

“What the fuck are you talking about, Mark?”

Light thuds. Mark sounds breathless when he answers again, and Taeyong assumes he must be running (or maybe even sprinting?), “The pictures!”

“What pictures?”

“With Jung Jaehyun!”

“Jung Jaeh— _what?_ What are you talking about?”

“It’s all over the internet!”

Groaning, he turns onto his back, one hand reaching for the tablet hiding underneath one of his pillows. He frowns at the sight of his notifications before swiping up the screen and going straight to Twitter. It seemed normal at first—an excessive amount of cat photos, tweets about plants and how to take care of them properly, a few announcements from the artists he’s previously worked before, and a picture of him and Jung Jaehyun kissing— _wait._

He sits up abruptly, gaping at the images flooding his timeline the more he scrolls down.

“Oh, my god,” he says.

“Oh, my god!” Mark repeats, now breathing heavily through the phone. Is he still running?

Taeyong scrolls through his timeline again, and he continues to refresh and refresh and refresh, but all the same pictures kept on popping up the more he drags down. He tries to refresh the tweets again, hoping for a notification to pop up telling him that the photos are photoshopped or that it’s all just a prank. He clicks on one particular image and zooms into it, his fingers pinching closer to see the faces more clearly, gasping when he realizes that it is indeed him who is straddling _someone’s_ lap. Oh. My god.

“Jung Jaehyun’s agency confirmed the it was him in the picture, hyung! But they’re still waiting for his official statement before they say more! Hyung, are you dating him?!”

Taeyong hisses a curse, mutters a string of words that would make his mother smother his face with alcohol. He refreshes his timeline again, and a new set of tweets with the same set of pictures pop up. Jung Jaehyun’s face is barely seen in the photos, but Taeyong could _definitely_ be recognized in one glance with the way his flaming red hair stood out. The people who knew him probably are already losing their marbles over these pictures.

“Where did these come from?” he exclaims. He runs a hand through his hair, fingers working through the tangled mess as he continues to stare at the photographs. He mutters another curse under his breath, dropping his hand onto his side only to hit his fingers against the edge of his thigh in frustration. He glides a finger against his tablet’s screen, swiping and clicking repeatedly in the hopes of convincing himself that the person in the picture is not him. Surely, if he stares hard enough, his face would disappear and it would all make sense.

“I don’t know!” Mark responds from the other line. Taeyong pushes his tablet off his lap and gingerly picks up his phone. “I only saw the articles a few minutes ago. Some insiders also said that you two spent most of the night together? Is it true?”

“What?” Taeyong almost spat. “Fuck, wait, I don’t remember anything from last night, but I’m pretty sure we didn’t hook up.”

“But you made out with him?!”

“Maybe? I don’t know!”

Taeyong swings his feet over the edge of his bed, a flicker of sunlight licking his knees in bright hues as his feet scramble to get ahold of his missing house slippers. He manages to find one when he decided to pull his curtains close and let the breeze inside his room permeate throughout the walls and onto the floor. He shivers slightly.

“I attended a house party last night, but I don’t remember meeting him there!” he says, approaching his desk in long strides and muttering another curse when he spots a light mark blooming near the dip of his collarbone. Seriously?

“Are you sure? Hyung, your name’s already being published on some articles! You should probably talk to your agency before making a statement.”

Taeyong groans. He can’t afford to get in trouble! Not when his project with Kim Doyoung is not yet finalized. _Fuck._ What if he pulls out from the project because of this?

“Can I call you later, Mark? I need to talk to my agency first about this.”

“Okay! Update me!”

“I will.”

Taeyong ends the call with a tap of his finger before setting the device down his desk and picking up random documents to set aside. He swipes at his table, dust clinging at the edge of his hand, particles of dirt swirling into the air where a strobe of light peeks through. He glances at himself at the mirror again, sneering at the mark near his collarbone. Would a coin work? It would probably irritate his skin, but he would rather sacrifice his comfort now than show his face inside their building with a kiss mark sitting loud and proud on his skin. His mother would probably scream at him if she sees the news. The mere thought of it sends a chill down his spine. He shivers on his spot, arms breaking into goosebumps, and he hopes to settle this matter soon or else he would lose his marbles.

His phone blares with his obnoxious ringtone not even a minute later. When he spares a glance at the screen, he visibly shudders at the contact name flashed across the screen in bold letters. The decline button screams at him in temptation, and he actually hesitates for a moment as one finger hovered over the button. Would he get fired if he ends the call so soon? Probably.

Taeyong manages a deep breath before answering. “Hello, noona—“

“Get to the office now,” Boa’s voice is sharp over the line. He winces once, bites down on his lower lip, and lets out a sigh.

Taeyong cowers on his spot. “Okay,” he says. He waits for a response, but the line only went silent after that. He swallows thickly and shifts on his feet. “Uh, I’ll be there soon.”

“30 minutes, Taeyong.”

“Wait, noona—“

The line goes dead with a click. Taeyong sighs, mutters another curse under his breath, and assumes his permanent spot in hell. Damn that stupid picture!

* * *

“Noona! Noona, listen,” Taeyong leans against the table, splaying his arms in front as he tries to get the company director’s attention. “Why can’t his agency just deny it? His face wasn’t even seen in the photo! We could all just move on and pretend that it never happened!”

“Taeyong, please be quiet,” Boa sighs and starts pinching the bridge of her nose. “I need to discuss with you about a different matter.”

“About what?”

“Jung Jaehyun-“

“Him again?” Taeyong groans. He plants his face onto the table and starts to mutter about the highly acclaimed actor. What’s with him, anyway? He could have just told his agency to deny the rumors right off the bat. Why does he need to prolong the issue? It doesn’t even make any sense!

“His agency reached out and offered a proposal, Taeyong.”

Taeyong lifts his head to stare at her. “Noona, I really respect you and the work you put into your career, but why, and I repeat, why do I still need to associate myself with him?”

Boah looks at him sternly and raises an eyebrow. “In case you are forgetting, Taeyong, you also have a part in this problem. You kow how notorious his paparazzis are!”

Taeyong raises his hands in defense and says, “I was drunk.”

“That’s besides the point! What I’m trying to say here is, you’re still a rookie in the industry, and you should have known better than to make out with him on broad daylight. If you want to give your name a boost, the offer they have for you might just help.”

“And that is?”

“Both parties will admit to the speculations and you two will have to act as a couple for a period of time.”

“Noona!”

“Listen to me first when I’m talking.”

Taeyong sits up straight. Boa slowly approaches him on his seat, the fabric of her blazer fit snug against her shoulders and making her look much more intimidating than she already does. She leans down, one hand coming over to rest on top of the circular wooden table, her slender fingers tapping gently against the surface with light thuds. Taeyong spares a swift glance to see her new manicure, his attention divided by the little gems glinting over her index finger.

“This is a good opportunity for both parties to gain more publicity, _but,_ ” Boa pauses and points a finger at him. Taeyong raises both of his eyebrows, blinking unevenly when she starts to shake her hand, “you will gain more than Jaehyun since your name is still fairly new to the industry. You already have Kim Doyoung under your wing right now, but with Jung Jaehyun’s name stuck to you for a period of time, people in and outside of the industry will stay curious. It is not difficult to like your works, Taeyong, but talent is not enough, and you of all people should know that. You need to learn how to play the game, too.”

Taeyong raises an eyebrow. “Game of Thrones?”

“Taeyong.”

“Okay, okay,” he raises his arms in surrender. “What you just said sounds a bit terrible, but I get your point. Still, I don’t think it’s enough for Jung Jaehyun to actually agree to this. He already has the fame.”

“Well, he has an upcoming movie, let’s start with that,” Boa states, leaning away from the table, “and it’s his first scandal—“ Taeyong snorts, “people are obviously going to make a big deal out of it. While the news is still fresh, it’s better if we take advantage of it, Taeyong.”

Taeyong tilts his head to the side, contemplating. The idea sounds tempting to him—his name being considered as one of the most promising young producers to ever grace the industry. He would like that very much. But faking a relationship for it? Is it honestly worth it? He shifts on his seat, the back of his knee hitting the edge of his chair, rubbing against the fabric of his pants and poking againt his skin. He lifts a hand to play with his earrings, the tip of his index finger grazing the circular tip of his industrial piercing.

“I’ll give you time to think it through, Taeyong. You don’t have to do it, but I’m encouraging you to at least think about it. It’ll be good for you.”

“How much time do I have?”

“Until tomorrow—“

“Tomorrow?!” Taeyong throws his head back, whining. “Noona, I thought I have at least a week!”

Boa smiles at her, looking sheepish at their realization. “The media is already demanding for a statement…”

He runs his palms over his face, groaning. “I hate this. I’m never drinking again.”

Boa throws him a glare, and he finds himself physically cowering under her gaze. “Next time, bring a friend to look after you. We can’t afford another issue like this, Taeyong.”

“I just said I’m never drinking again, noona.”

“I doubt that. Are you willing to give up smoking as well, then?”

“That’s a different topic.”

“No, it isn’t.”

Taeyong pouts at her. “Noona, do I really have to do it?”

“You can always decline, Taeyong. It’s all up to you.”

“But,” he slumps on his seat, one hand going up to grab a fistful of his hair. The strands are rough and dry against his fingertips, the color a contrast to his pale skin, “the opportunities sound so tempting!”

“Then, take it. You’ve dated other people before, right? It shouldn’t be too hard to keep up the act for half a year or so.”

“I barely know the guy!”

“That didn’t stop you from sitting on his lap and kissing him, didn’t it?”

Taeyong’s cheeks grow a deeper shade of red almost similar to his hair. “I wouldn’t have done that if I was sober.” She stares at him. He lets a sheepish smile and admits, “Well, maybe I still would have, but that’s not the point, noona.”

“You still have until tonight to think about it, Yong,” Boa sighs. Carefully, she walks over to one of the desks situated near the back of the room and pulls out a document from the drawer. Taeyong leans over the table, curious. When she returns to his spot, she pushes the documents across the wooden surface. “If you agree, make sure to read all of that and sign it.”

Taeyong flips open the document. “What is this?”

“It’s a Non-Disclosure Agreement.”

Oh. Taeyong flips through the pages, an eyebrow raising in suspicion. There are a total of three copies of the file. He wonders if it’s necessary to have that many copies of the document when there’s only one of him to sign all of them. He’s never come across an NDA contract before.

“Think about it, Taeyong. Whatever you decide with, you know we can always handle it for you.”

“This is a gamble, noona.”

“Yes, sort of. But we’re definitely at an advantage.”

Taeyong runs a fingers across the paper, still deep in thought.

* * *

Jaehyun’s head dips, the tip of his index finger drumming against the surface of his kitchen sink. He stares at the faucet, watching as small droplets of glistening water hits the stainless sink with a clink. It is quiet when he sighs, his breathing calm and even against the air permeating throughout the walls of his own personal space. He wants to stay inside his own bubble longer—just him and his thoughts alone with each other, away from the chaos of the media and the industry.

The ringing of his phone blares through the kitchen. He sighs again, heavier this time, before pushing himself away from the kitchen counter to reach out for his phone resting atop the island from behind him. He feels the edges of the device, fingers running down at the sides, before accepting incoming call from his manager.

“Hyung,” he greets.

“We just received a word from Lee Taeyong’s agency.”

Jaehyun freezes, his breath hitching in his throat. He grows rigid, and he waits. He stares at the small spot on top of his kitchen island where a shadow hung underneath one of his decorative light. He traces the lines with his gaze, squinting ever so lightly as he continues to wait. “And?”

“He already signed the NDA contract.”

Dust falls from the ceiling and hits the floor in quiet. Jaehyun smiles.

* * *

“What a bright company,” Boa mumbles as they step past the company’s doors for the first time. Taeyong hums in agreement. SM Entertainment surely is bright even from the inside. The hues of pink that surround his vision is somewhat becoming more and more blinding the more they roam around the area. He spares a swift glance to his side and sees a large flat screen TV hanging by the wall, playing a video of a girl group dancing to their new release.

“Too much pink,” he muses, shivering from the cold. He squints his eyes and blatantly ignores Jung Jaehyun’s standee they just passed by. Boa snickers at his reaction, muttering something about keeping it natural, when one of SM’s staff approached them. They were then led to a nearby secret room close to the building’s cafeteria. Taeyong dips his head and lets himself be guided inside, mumbling incoherently.

“Good morning,” Boa greets upon arriving inside. Taeyong follows quietly behind her, still adamant to the new environment he is currently in.

“Ah, welcome! Come in, come in! Make yourselves comfortable!” Jung Jaehyun’s manager calls for another staff to help them with the chairs.

Taeyong refused to acknowledge the other presence in the room all throughout the private meeting they had. Yunho, Jaehyun’s manager, took the responsibility of talking for the most part, while Boa was the one to raise her concerns in between the discussions to spare Taeyong the humiliation of saying something dumb. He might need to treat her to something nice after this. God knows how stressful the current situation is for all of them, but she’s been taking all the blunt force of the issue and taking the initiative to handle it behind the scenes.

“We can lay low after Jaehyun’s movie release,” Yunho states. “Once his promotion for the film ends, we can slowly ease into having less exposure until we can release a statement about the break up.”

“So, until then, we’ll just have to milk everything dry? Taeyong has an upcoming project with Kim Doyoung, but he has no more offers after that.”

“Well, we can arrange something about that if that’s what you’re worried about. There are a few artists here in SM that are interested to work with him, too. Would you mind if you come with me to the other room, Miss Kwon?”

“Oh,” Boa spares a glance at Taeyong. He tells her off with a firm nod. “Alright!”

Yunho turns to look at Jaehyun, “We’ll be back, Jaehyun-ah. You know what to do.”

 _Shit._ Taeyong grips the sides of his chair. If he exits through the nearest window, would he get caught by a taxicab and get hospitalized for a _really_ long time? The idea sounds much better than staying alone inside a room with Jung Jaehyun. He’s never felt more embarrassed in his life, and this one, this definitely takes the cake.

He shifts on his seat, swallows thickly to try and at least calm his nerves. His right leg continues to bounce from underneath the table. Up, down, up, down, up, down, up–

Jaehyun smiles when they lock gazes. He mutters a curse and dips his head to stare at his lap. He tries to memorize every single loose thread clinging onto the rips on his pants. He knows they would feel rough against his fingers if he were to touch them, but at the heat of the moment, despite already knowing, he still clings onto them, wraps them around his fingers before pulling hard enough to rip some of them off. Jaehyun only stares.

“So...” he trails off

“So,” Taeyong lifts his gaze and shifts on his seat, the office chair squeaking under his weight. Jaehyun is still smiling at him, and he finds that he wants to wipe that stupid smile away from his face, “it’s nice to, uhm, formally meet you.”

“Likewise,” Jaehyun’s grin grows wider. Taeyong shifts against his seat once again, and he notices that Jung Jaehyun looks a bit more different in real life than he does on the big screen. Nice eye shape, pretty nose, decent sized lips, and his _dimples._ Goddamn, those dimples are fucking insane. It’s no wonder the nation goes apeshit whenever he releases a new drama or movie. Everything about him is so pleasing to the eyes!

“How are we going to do this again?” Taeyong furrows his eyebrows. “Sorry, I’m still kind of lost with this whole... thing.”

“It’s alright, hyung,” Jaehyun chuckles. Taeyong’s fingers start to twitch. The room grows colder, or maybe it’s just the silence hanging in between them like a loose thread. “We just have to pretend. You know, the simple stuff.”

Taeyong snorts at that. _Simple?_

“Do we have to make out in public again or what?”

“I mean, if that’s what you would prefer to do, then I don’t mind.”

Taeyong mutters a curse, feeling his cheeks grow warmer at the statement, and Jung Jaehyun has the audacity to laugh at him. Damn that good looking guy and his stupid dimples and eyesmile. How is he supposed to survive this?

“No, thanks,” Taeyong frowns at him. “I’d rather keep it, uh, lowkey.”

“Then, that’s fine with me as well.”

“What about you? What do you want to do?”

Jaehyun shrugs nonchalantly. “Anything. As long as it keeps the people talking. I have an upcoming movie soon, and it’d be nice if the media frenzy would continue until then. The general public’s curiosity could fuel my project, and it would also boost both of our careers.”

“Wow, you’re really good at this,” Taeyong tells him, earning a chuckle from the actor.

“It’s what we do, hyung,” Jaehyun grins.

Taeyong raises an eyebrow at that. “You’ve done this before?”

“Dating for publicity?”

“Yeah?”

Jaehyun shakes his head at him. “No, I haven’t,” he states. “It’s my first time.”

“Oh,” Taeyong quips. “Me too.”

“I figured.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing? It is what it is, hyung.”

Taeyong squints, lips turning into a frown as he continues to watch the man from across the table. Jaehyun remains seated, his figure lax and evidently comfortable despite the thick air hanging in between the two of them. Taeyong’s frown deepens when he notices Jaehyun’s dimples again. Instinctively, he lifts a hand to play with his earrings again. Jaehyun’s eyes flicker onto the piercings decorating the producer’s left ear, fascinated by the silver and gold accessories against his skin.

“Can we establish some rules?” Taeyong asks, shifting on his seat. “Just to make sure we don’t do anything weird with… whatever this is.”

“Sure, hyung,” Jaehyun nods. “You can start. I’m fine with anything.”

“Okay,” Taeyong breathes, nodding. “Can we, uh, not kiss in public? Or at least, limit it if it can’t be helped? Is that okay?”

Jaehyun purses his lips at that, eyebrows furrowing at his statement. Seriously? No kissing? “Wouldn’t that be weird?”

“Well, we can put a limit. Say, two per day?”

“Only two? What about five?”

“That’s too much!”

“Five should be the minimum, though?”

“Fine,” Taeyong groans. “Only five.”

Jaehyun shrugs indefinitely. Taeyong takes that as a yes.

“What else?” the actor leans back further on his seat. “No skinship?”

“Skinship is fine, I think,” Taeyong mutters. “No spontaneous activities, though. We have to plan everything a few days prior.”

“Alright. Anything else?”

“No pet names, too. And you can’t buy me expensive gifts even it’s just for show.”

“Okay…”

“You’re being weirdly compliant,” Taeyong squints his eyes in suspicion. Jaehyun breaks into another smile. “Don’t you have anything to say to me?”

Jaehyun shakes his head and says, “No. I’m fine with anything.”

“Are you sure?” Taeyong presses.

Jaehyun tries to think of something for a while. Should he?

“Actually, I have one,” he says, grinning. “I don’t know if you’d like it, though.”

“What?” Taeyong raises an eyebrow.

“You can’t date anyone else while we’re in this arrangement.”

“Uh, okay?” Taeyong tilts his head to the side. “That’s fine for me, but that has to apply to you, too. You can’t date anyone else while we’re still in this arrangement.”

“That’s easy.”

Taeyong snorts and rolls his eyes. “Sure.”

“Why? You don’t believe me?”

“I just don’t think a guy your type can manage to keep it in his pants.”

“What’s that supposed to mean, hyung?”

“Nothing,” Taeyong flashes a toothy grin. “It is what it is.”

Jaehyun raises an eyebrow at him, but Taeyong only laughs. He shifts on his seat, lets his eyes travel onto the edge of Taeyong’s face, before letting out a quiet sigh. There is something with the way light frames the red head’s face from above his head, dust particles swimming in circles against the streaks, and he thinks, albeit only for a moment, if these stupid rules are binding enough for him to stay true to it all. He hopes they are just as much of a joke as he is.

He thinks back to the first time he saw him, when his hair was still of a natural shade and a bit more reserved (or perhaps he was just shy that night, having to come from an unknown company surrounded by people he barely knows). The memory makes him smile, and figures it would be a good story to talk about once they finally get to know each other. It would probably a surprise to Taeyong when he finds out. For now though, they would have to make do with what they currently have. If Jaehyun is brave enough, he would probably have enough courage to tell his own side of the story, and maybe, just maybe, Taeyong would be kind enough to him. Until then, he will wait.

A smile breaks away from his lips. “It’s a pleasure to work with you, Taeyong hyung.”

Taeyong groans.

* * *

The articles all tell the same story.

“Actor Jung Jaehyun met the producer at a mutual friend’s party,” Mark starts, and Taeyong visibly shudders on his seat. “Jung Jaehyun has known Lee Taeyong prior to their first meeting and has always found him appealing. He already had a crush on the producer even before they met, and not long after their encounter, they started to date and became official shortly after that. They have been dating for almost a year now, and their colleagues have come out to say that they are both very supportive of each other’s career. Taeyong even visits Jaehyun on set whenever he is filming and is said to be a very affectionate lover towards the actor.”

Taeyong slaps a hand to his mouth to stifle a yelp. He lets himself fall against the mattress, his back hitting the soft surface with a light thud. He wants to gag and scream. Seriously? That’s the best story they could come up with? Jaehyun having a crush on him even before they met sounds so…fake. Taeyong shudders at the thought. Who would believe that?

“Most of the comments are only talking about how Jung Jaehyun’s off the market now,” Mark states as he scrolls through his cousin’s tablet. “Oh! Here’s one about you!”

Taeyong pushes himself using his elbows. “What does it say?”

“Oh,” Mark winces. “It says you’re probably just leeching off of his fame to have your name get recognized in the industry.”

“I mean, they’re not wrong,” Taeyong muses. “I am technically doing this for my career.”

Mark shrugs and continues to scroll through the comments. “Have you seen what his fans are saying about you online?”

Taeyong shakes his head. “No. I don’t want to waste my energy on that. Why? Are they all negative?”

“Mostly,” Mark sighs and proceeds to read another comment from the article. “At least Lee Taeyong is pretty enough. Jaehyunnie’s a pretty man, so his boyfriend should also be pretty like him.”

“Ew,” Taeyong lets himself fall against the mattress again. He stretches one hand above his head and stares at the ceiling. “I don’t really care about what they think. I’m just here to do my job.”

“I would still be bothered if I were you.”

“Which is why I don’t go online that often, you know? It’s too troublesome for me.”

“Are you comfortable at least?” Mark turns to him. “He’s not an asshole, right? There are rumors about him being a douchebag.”

“He’s alright,” Taeyong shrugs. “A bit smug, but he seems good. We have rules, by the way.”

“Rules for what?”

“To establish boundaries. You know, to avoid getting into conflict.”

Mark hums, “I still can’t believe you got yourself into this mess, hyung. I mean, what even happened?”

Taeyong shrugs again. Honestly, he still has no recollection of what happened that night. He got too wasted to even remember _that._

When Mark leaves for university later that day, he distracts himself by working on a recent track he and Kim Doyoung have been working on for the past few days. It was already nearing midnight when he receives a text message from Jaehyun.

**Jung JH [11:34PM]**

Wear something nice tomorrow. Don’t be late!

He sighs and leaves him on read.

* * *

“You couldn’t even pick a better view than this?”

Taeyong frowns at the huge billboard facing the balcony they are currently seated in. Jaehyun’s recent Nature Republic promotional campaign is plastered right across from where they are. Taeyong’s frown grows deeper when he hears Jaehyun laugh from beside him. He squirms in his seat, growing uncomfortable at the lack of space in between them. The morning breeze is cold against their skin. Seriously, who in the world would eat brunch on a balcony? Only rich people.

“What? It’s not like it’s disturbing our breakfast, hyung.”

Taeyong continues to stare at the picture. It’s not even that special to begin with! He’s just wearing a simple button down t-shirt while posing in front of the beach. “Oh, it’s definitely disturbing. I don’t need to see your big face on a billboard when you’re already with me.”

Jaehyun pouts at him. Taeyong turns to spare him a quick glance, leaning back slightly when he notices they’re a bit too close for his liking. Boundaries!

“My face is not big,” Jaehyun says.

“Yes, it is,” Taeyong deadpans.

The actor throws an arm over his chair. Taeyong sneers at him, muttering a string of curses under his breath when Jaehyun starts to lean in closer. Not even a day in this stupid arrangement and he already wants out. Seriously, what did he get himself into?

“Kiss me, then?”

“What?” Taeyong’s eyes widen in shock. “What the fuck are you on?”

“Hyung,” Jaehyun whispers. “Someone’s hiding in the other building. They’re taking pictures of us.”

“Huh?” Taeyong starts to crane his head to look behind him but Jaehyun places a hand on top of his cheek to stop him.

“Shh, they’ll know that we know.”

Taeyong furrows his eyebrows, swallowing thickly. “Then, what do we do?”

“Can I kiss you?”

“W-what?”

“Just once.”

Jaehyun leans in and captures his lips in a firm kiss. Taeyong blinks a few times, listening to the quiet whistle of the wind blowing from above where they sit. He relaxes against Jaehyun’s palm, closes his eyes in concentration, and tries his best not to think of it too much. There is a distinct flash from the other building’s rooftop followed by a few more, and Jaehyun relishes at the fact. He swipes his tongue over Taeyong’s lower lip, coaxing him to open up a bit more. A gasp escapes the latter.

Grunting, Taeyong pushes him away. “Hey,” he says, scowling. “That’s too much.”

Jaehyun’s lips are swollen and red when he speaks. “Huh? I said one kiss, right? That’s only one. I still have four left.”

“Fou– what?”

“Minimum of five, right?”

Taeyong grabs a spoon from the table and hits him on the head with its handle. “You’re abusing it.”

“I’m just enjoying my privilege, hyung.”

“You’re stupid!”

“Just a little bit.”

“You’re so annoying. We came here for breakfast, not to make out!”

“We can do both.”

Taeyong flashes him another glare. Jaehyun chuckles at his reaction, lifting a hand to pinch his cheek. Taeyong tries to swat away the actor’s hand when he remembers about the lurking paparazzi. “You know,” he says through gritted teeth, “you’re really annoying.”

“And yet you’re still here.”

Taeyong huffs. “I hate you.”

“It’s okay,” Jaehyun smiles. “I’m quite enjoying this arrangement. Aren’t you?”

“Do I look like I’m enjoying myself?” Taeyong rolls his eyes and sets the spoon down on the table. “You’re annoying.”

Jeahyun leans back, still smiling an him. Taeyong raises an eyebrow and tries his best to ignore the dimples. Those _damn_ dimples! They look even better in person and up close. If he pokes his fingers right through them, would he make a hole against his cheek? He wonders if Jaehyun’s face is insured. He spares another glance at the billboard amd tries to compare Jaehyun’s dimples there and the ones he’s seeing now in person. It’s definitely better to see it up close.

“That’s not what you told me the night of the party,” Jaehyun lilts. “You were the one who initiated the kiss, you know?”

Taeyong grows feverish on his seat. Is this the first time they’re about to talk about the incident?

“You remember what happened?”

“Of course, hyung. I wasn’t too drunk that night.”

Taeyong shivers on his chair. Jaehyun lifts a hand to fix a loose strand of the producer’s hair, still ignoring the camera flash from the other building. “You were really cute when you first approached me. I didn’t know you would be a lightweight.”

Taeyong raises an eyebrow at him. He lets Jaehyun run his fingers against the loose strands of his hair, still hyper aware of the lurking presence from behind him. “Do I look like someone who can handle his alcohol?”

“Yeah,” Jaehyun pulls back with a smile. “I thought you’d be a heavy drinker the first time I saw you.”

Taeyong thinks back to the night of the party. Does he look like a heavy drinker? Is it because he looks intimidating at first glance that people would assume he can handle his alcohol?

“I don’t really drink that often,” he shrugs. “It makes me do dumb shit.”

“Like the kiss?” Jaehyun raises an eyebrow.

“Well, duh! Look at us now. We’re in this weird situation even though we barely know each other.”

“But we can always work on that, right? We’re colleagues now.”

“Sure,” Taeyong shrugs. “Can you tell me the full story to what happened in the party, then?”

“No,” Jaehyun shakes his head. Taeyong frowns at him. “You have to achieve friendship level 20 to unlock that story.”

Taeyong grabs the spoon and hits him on the head again. “Are you a child?!”

Jaehyun yelps and presses a hand on the side of his head. “I was just joking!”

Taeyong glares at him. “Then, tell me!”

“I can’t. As I’ve said, you have to achieve friendship level–“

Taeyong raises the spoon again and was about to hit him on the shoulder when their food finally arrived on a trolley. He stops midway and stares at the lady delivering their food.

“Uh,” he croaks, glancing at Jaehyun.

The actor gently takes away the spoon from him with a smile. “Sorry about that,” he tells the lady. “He likes to do weird stuff.”

“Yeah,” Taeyong chuckles and shifts uncomfortably on his seat.

The lady only smiles at them. Taeyong starts to kick Jaehyun’s foot underneath the table when the actor starts to cover half of his face with his hand to suppress his laugh. Stupid dimples!

They eat in complete silence after that. Taeyong would occasionally hum to himself whenever he would take a bite, relishing the free food despite being unfamiliar with most of the dishes. At one point, Jaehyun took out his phone from his pocket to snap a picture of the producer eating.

“Hey,” Taeyong mumbled with his mouth full. “Delete that.”

“What?” Jaehyun says as he continues to take photos.

Taeyong chews on his food before swallowing and saying, “I said delete that.”

“No,” Jaehyun shakes his head with a smile. _Dimples!_ “I’m going to post them on my Instagram.”

Taeyong frowns at him but doesn’t say another word. When they finally finish eating, noon was already approaching. Taeyong pats a hand on his bloated stomach, groaning.

“That was nice.”

“Would you like some more of the bread? You managed to eat almost all of them.”

“Is take out allowed in here?” Taeyong leans against his chair. “This place is so fancy.”

“Of course,” Jaehyun smiles. “We can buy a new batch on our way out.”

“Okay. How much is it?”

“It’s fine. I’ll pay for it, hyung.”

“Huh? That’s not fair.”

“It’s alright–“

“Hey,” Taeyong points a finger at him. “Didn’t I tell you to not buy me expensive shit?”

“Hyung, it’s just bread,” Jaehyun chuckles. He raises his hands in surrender when Taeyong shoots him a glare. “Okay, okay,” he says, still laughing. “I won’t. You can buy it for yourself.”

“Good.”

The bread was _expensive_. What the fuck. Taeyong clutches the paper bag close to his chest as they walk out the building. Jaehyun slides an arm around his waist and leans in to his ear.

“How’s your bread?”

“Shut the fuck up,” he grumbles.

What a delightful day!

-

“Are you really not going to tell me what happened in the party?”

“We just kissed, hyung. Did you not see the pictures?”

Taeyong pulls his seatbelt over his shoulder, grunting under his breath as Jaehyun puts the car in reverse. He squints his eyes when a streak of sunlight hits the side of his face.

“I did, but I still want to know the full story!”

“What’s there to know? It’s nothing interesting, really.”

Jaehyun lowers his window to thank the staff with a nod. Taeyong frowns at him. He watches as the car slowly speeds towards the freeway, still deep in thought. He clutches his bread closer to him.

“I didn’t do anything weird, right?” he asks. “I mean, aside from the kiss?”

“No, not really,” Jaehyun shakes his head. “Hyung, don’t worry about it. It’s alright.”

“Maybe for you, but it’s embarrassing for me,” Taeyong groans. “I barely even know you. Hell, I’m not even a fan of you! I just don’t understand why of all people, I would end up making out with you. No offense, by the way.”

“None taken.”

“I didn’t even know you were in the party, too.”

“I came in late,” Jaehyun states. He has his one hand on the steering wheel, and the other resting on top of the joystick. “Johnny forced me to attend,” he says with a timid smile.

Taeyong raises an eyebrow at him. “You’re friends with him, too?”

“Sort of? SM always hires him as the DJ during their exclusive parties. I met him during one from a couple of years ago.”

“Oh,” Taeyong nods. “You already arrived at the party while I was drunk?”

Jaehyun pauses on his seat, shifting slightly as he leans forward to look at the stoplight. “Not really,” he mutters. He speeds away right before the light turned red. “I think I saw you by the entrance when I got there? But you didn’t notice me.”

“Really? That’s weird.”

“Is it?”

“Yeah. I thought people would make a big deal out of your arrival since you’re an A-list celebrity or something.”

Jaehyun chuckles at him and shakes his head. “That rarely happens. And there were also a few more public figures invited that night. Did you not know?”

“Like who?”

“Park Sooyoung, Cha Eu–“

“Park Sooyoung?!” Taeyong shrieks. “As in the actress Park Sooyoung?!”

“Yes–“

Taeyong leans his head against the headrest, groaning. “Why did nobody tell me?”

“Why? Are you a fan?” Jaehyun tears his gaze away from the road to look at him.

“No, but I really enjoyed her most recent drama. I was hoping to produce at least one of the OST for it, but we had conflicts in schedule when our company received the offer,” Taeyong sighs. He turns to look down on his bread and starts pinching the paper bag. “That would have been so cool.”

“But you’re producing for Doyoung’s album now, right? That’s so much better if you ask me.”

“Yeah,” Taeyong agrees. “I was actually surprised when he reached out. He said a friend of his recommended me to him, but I still don’t know which friend it is. I wanted to thank them at least.”

Jaehyun hums before taking a left turn. Taeyong yelps in surprise when he spots their company’s building from afar, the silver windows glimmering against the morning heat. He clutches his bread against his torso and says, “We’re here?”

Jaehyun nods and slowly pulls up near the company’s driveway. Taeyong lets out a sigh of his relief, his shoulders relaxing at the familiar sight of the building’s entrance.

“I’ll escort you inside, hyung,” Jaehyun tells him while removing his seatbelt. Taeyong raises an eyebrow in question. “There’s a car following us. It must be a paparazzi.”

Taeyong spares a quick glance at the rear view mirror. “Really?” he asks. He didn’t even notice it.

“Yup. Wait here, please.”

Jaehyun pushes his door open with a grunt, and Taeyong watches as Jaehyun walks over to his side of the car to open the door for him. _Dimples!_

“Wow, you’re really true to your role, huh?” Taeyong snickers before accepting his extended hand. He grips his bread with his free hand.

“I’m an actor, hyung.”

“I know that, Mr. Obvious.”

Jaehyun accompanies him to the entrance. Taeyong swipes his company card in silence and waits for the doors to open for him. He shifts against Jaehyun’s hold, feeling the warmth of his arm seeping into the thick fabric of his coat.

“I’ll see you next time, hyung,” Jaehyun tells him with a smile. He doesn’t remove his arm around Taeyong’s waist when he starts to lean in.

“What are you doing?” Taeyong mutters through gritted teeth.

“Goodbye kiss for the camera?”

Oh. “You’re annoying.”

“Limit of five remember?” Jaehyun chuckles as he presses his lips onto Taeyong’s mouth. Taeyong sucks in a deep breath and closes his eyes. _Stupid dimples! Stupid fucking dimples._

“I hate you,” Taeyong murmurs when Jaehyun finally pulls away.

“I’ll see you soon?”

“Whatever.”

Jaehyun chuckles at him, shakes his head, and proceeds to pinch his cheek. “Enjoy your bread, hyung.”

* * *

“I saw the pictures.”

Jaehyun chuckles through the phone as he leans back against his car seat. He flips through the pages of his script, mentally noting certain pages to look back to once he returns home, before carefully reclining his seat. He lets out a sigh, soft and quiet against the space of his car.

“Already?”

“They were posted just a minute ago, Jae,” Johnny’s voice is muffled from the other line. “How was it?”

“It was fine,” Jaehyun peeks through his bangs, lets himself stare at the dim light from outside his car. He wonders why SM’s underground parking light is always so ominously lit. “He was great to talk to.”

Johnny lets out a breathy laugh. “You’re enjoying this,” he states. Jaehyun could already the teasing smile forming on his friend’s face. He figured it was good that Johnny isn’t here with him at this exact moment. He would definitely refuse to ignore the way Jaehyun’s ears are growing a deeper shade of red by the seconds. “You’re definitely enjoying this, you bastard!”

“It’s not what I expected,” Jaehyun lilts. His voice is quiet, much softer at the edges. He thinks of Taeyong and the way he grips his bread, wonders all to himself if he would get to experience being in his arms even for just a split second in the near future. He smiles and wonders why he’s jealous of _bread._ “I didn’t know we’d be stuck in this kind of situation.”

“But it’s cool, right? At least you get to live out you fantasies!” Johnny snorts. “Imagine being roped into a scandal with your crush? That’s the dream.”

“You make it sound like I’m a lovesick fool, John.”

“But you are,” Johnny says. “You definitely are.”

Jaehyun shifts on his seat and re-adjusts the phone pressed on his ear. “It was just a crush. I’m too old for that.”

“Dude, you’re twenty five years old.”

“Whatever.”

“Well, what’s your plan now? You know your reputation’s not exactly the best right now, right? Have you seen the comments?”

Jaehyun hears a shuffling from the other line. He wonders if Johnny is inside his bedroom right now, lounging on his bed, or if he’s with a few of their acquaintances. Is there anyone else listening to their conversation? He trusts Johnny enough not to doubt him.

“I don’t know, honestly,” he sighs, running a hand through his hair. “The movie’s premiering in three months. We just need to keep the act until that’s over with. I can worry about my reputation then.”

“That sucks,” Johnny muses. “You’re not planning on making a move on him? Tell him about your crush on him, Jae. Fuck the netizens.”

“And why would I do that? I’ll sound creepy,” Jaehyun flips through his script again and tries to read some of his highlighted lines. “And besides, I don’t think he’ll appreciate if I do that. I also wasn’t expecting to get caught by the paparazzis, so I feel guilty for roping him into this mess. The industry is too harsh as it is.”

“Well, yeah, you have a point,” Johnny’s padding footsteps can be heard through the phone. Jaehyun lifts his gaze and sees his manager walking towards his car.

“I gotta go,” he says, “ Yunho hyung’s here.”

“Oh. Bye, then.”

“Bye.”

Jaehyun throws his phone onto his passenger seat before lowering the window of his car. Yunho leans down to take a good look at him. “How’s your first day with him?” he asks.

“Good,” Jaehyun says, shrugging as he pulls his seat back to its original place. He puts his script back inside his compartment before turning back to look at his manager. “Did you see the pictures yet?”

“Yes, they were sent to us before they released it.”

“Can I go home now, then? I don’t have a schedule until tomorrow afternoon.”

Yunho heaves out a sigh. “Alright. Call me when you get home.”

“I will. Thanks, hyung.”

As he drives away from the building, he thinks about Taeyong again. Would he be able to handle the criticism? He seems to be a tough nut to crack, but the idea of him taking the blunt force of the backlash makes him feel guilty. He knows it’s not his fault for getting caught, but what if he was more responsible that night? But if he was, he definitely wouldn’t be in this situation. He groans at the thought and slams a hand over his steering wheel. He shouldn’t be thinking that way.

“Nice going, Jae,” he whispers to himself.

He didn’t expect to get roped into a dating scandal at the peak of his career, much less with Taeyong of all people. He sighs through his nose and loosens his grip around the wheel. He doesn’t want to burden Taeyong, yet he also can’t help but to think of the reason why he agreed to the proposal. Is it solely because of his career or something more?

 _He barely knows you,_ he thinks to himself.

Sighing, he steps harder on the gas and breaks the speed limit.

* * *

Taeyong raises a hand above his head before speaking into the microphone. “Can we do that line again? It was a bit flat.”

Kim Doyoung lowers his headphone, bashful as he gently massaged the sides of his throat. “Yeah, sorry, I’ll do it again.”

“No worries,” Taeyong smiles. “You can make the note longer if that’ll help you. Just make sure to emphasize every syllable leading up to the end.”

“Got it!”

Taeyong leans back on his chair as Doyoung proceeds to sing his lines again. He tilts his head to the side, careful with analyzing every note. He sighs when Doyoung finishes, smiling as he finds himself quite satisfied with the end result. Finally.

“That was good,” he tells him with a thumbs up. Doyoung visibly relaxes from the booth. “Let’s take a short break and then we’ll proceed with the next lines.”

He grabs a nearby water bottle and chugs its remains. Doyoung exits the booth with a tired smile as he pushes back his glasses onto the bridge of his nose. “That was difficult,” he tells Taeyong. “I wasn’t expecting it to be a bit difficult.”

“We can play with the pitch if you’re not comfortable. Are you going to dance while singing this song?” Taeyong pushes himself off his chair before grabbing his own lyrics sheet. Doyoung runs a hand through his hair, and the two of them head out while discussing about the recent track they’re working on.

“Yeah, but I’m only performing it during concerts, anyway. I think I can manage. I’m just worried about losing my voice this week since I still have to do a few guest appearances on some shows.”

Taeyong turns to him. “Happy Together, right?”

Doyoung nods. “How did you know?”

“I saw Jaehyun’s schedule and your name’s there, too.”

“Oh?” Doyoung grins at him. “What a thoughtful boyfriend!”

Taeyong felt his cheeks grow warmer at his jab. They enter the cafeteria and greets some of the staff inside. “I just happened to see it…” he muses.

Doyoung goes up to the glass shelves with a skip on his steps. Taeyong scans the menu quietly, reading some of the snacks available, while tugging at the hem of his pullover. He wonders if he should buy a latte now or later. Would it be better if he drinks it now? He’s still a bit full from the lunch he had earlier, anyway.

“You know, I was actually a bit surprised when the news came out last week,” Doyoung says as he leans back to scan the rest of the menu. Taeyong turns to look at him. “But I guess it makes sense.”

Taeyong raises an eyebrow. “Makes sense how?”

Doyoung takes a step back, tearing his gaze away from the food before unscrewing the cap of his watter bottle. Taeyong watches as his slender fingers wrap around the plastic, slightly enamored with his gentleness. He lifts his gaze to look back at him as sees him grinning. There is a knowing look on his face, something that says _I know something that you don’t_ , and it almost sends him over the edge.

“Well, he wouldn’t recommend you to me if you’re not someone special,” Doyoung shrugs. Taeyong blinks once, twice. “Now that I’m thinking about it, it actually makes sense. You’re his boyfriend!”

Taeyong’s lips part in surprise. Doyoung continues to talk over him, mentioning a thing or two about Jaehyun previously talking about a small time producer he recently met at a party. Taeyong tried to rack his brain, reaching out in corners where only his fingertips would meet cobwebs. As far as he remembers, he’s never met Jaehyun prior to the scandal. Before that, he’s never had an encounter with him. He grips the bottle in his hand, growing dizzy at the sudden information. Jaehyun is the one who recommended him to Doyoung?

“At a party?” Taeyong repeats.

“Yep! It was way before the news of your relationship came out. If I had known you were already dating him then, I would have reached out myself. He’s quite a private guy, so most of us weren’t aware that he’s dating…”

Taeyong dips his head and stares at the floor. He follows the small cracks beneath his feet and wonders if the surface would easily break underneath his weight. He shifts—careful with the way he pulls his feet away from each other. He takes a step back. Doyoung continues to talk over him, but his voice is muffled by the realization that Jaehyun is the one who recommended him. But why?

He thinks nothing of it. Even when Doyoung had already left the studio later that day, and he is left alone with himself and no one else, he still thinks nothing of it. The industry is big is what he tells himself instead. Of course there is still a sliver of chance that Jaehyun actually already knew about him prior to their pictures being spread around. He shouldn’t think too much of it.

When midnight breaks, he finds himself staring at the studio’s lights attached to the ceiling as he laid on his back against the cold floor. He always does this—spends the rest of his night inside the studio, working himself to the bone until he finds his work satisfying enough to listen to, but tonight, tonight is definitely different. He thinks about texting Jaehyun. If he raises the question, would he be given a definite answer?

He thinks nothing of it. He doesn’t think of calling Jaehyun in the middle of the night to thank him for what he’s done, and he also doesn’t think about the ringing in his ears and the way his chest would soar by leaps and bounds when thinking about the mere thought of _Jaehyun_. Jaehyun with his deep set of dimples. Jaehyun who is a cheeky guy but still manages to act like a gentleman. Jaehyun who is immensely dedicated to his craft. Jaehyun who is kind enough to recommend him to a well known soloist to help boost his career. He doesn’t think of him. Instead, he closes his eyes and forces himself to drift off into sleep. He sees Jaehyun in his dreams and he wonders if there is much more to it other than the fact that the industry is big, and maybe, just maybe, Jaehyun already knew him and his works prior to the scandal.

He tries to shake away his thoughts. He heaves out a heavy sigh and lets the coldness of the floor swallow his limbs and cover them with ice. He is afraid to move. If he does, would he break? Would his fingers crack along with his skin? If he moves on his spot, would he slowly find himself unable to be fixed? He stays unmoving.

He falls asleep to the thought of Jaehyun and his kindness that managed to make his chest shiver just enough to wake something from within him.

* * *

Taeyong feels like he’s got more to lose between the two of them. He’s never been someone to easily develop feelings for a person he barely knows. In fact, he hates feelings. He wants to grab them in his hands and crush them with his own fingers. Who the hell would willingly develop feelings for a _stranger?_

“Smile for the camera, hyung,” Jaehyun whispers as he leans in. Taeyong swallows thickly. Somewhere from across the street, a paparazzi is doing a _really_ weak job at hiding.

“I hate you.”

Jaehyun’s lips feel the same against his. Soft and warm and moist. He figures they’re getting a bit too comfortable at kissing now that they’ve been going at it for more than a week. He presses closer to him, parting his lips when Jaehyun starts to cup his jaw in his hand. Jaehyun tastes like coffee, he thinks to himself. A bit bitter, yet somehow still fueling.

“More,” Jaehyun murmurs.

Taeyong gently pushes him away, which served as futile considering how they’re both inside a car. “We’re in a public place. Have some shame, you monster.”

“That didn’t stop us before,” Jaehyun grins. “And the windows are tinted.”

 _Dimples,_ Taeyong thinks. _My god, those dimples!_

Taeyong squints his eyes at him before leaning in again with a frown. “I hate that you’re enjoying this too much,” he mutters.

“Who wouldn’t enjoy this, hyung?” Jaehyun grabs a fistful of Taeyong’s hair and gently pulls at his head, baring his neck and exposing them against the cold.

Taeyong gasps when he feels Jaehyun’s tongue lapping against the corner of his jaw. He closes his eyes and grips his shoulders. _Stupid dimples, stupid dimples, stupid dimples–_

He groans internally. Something is definitely wrong with him.

When the pictures were published the next day, all Taeyong could think of was the fact that he cannot wait to feel Jaehyun’s lips on his again, and he takes his sweet time to reevaluate his thoughts after that. Seriously, what the fuck is wrong with him? What the hell did he get himself into? Jaehyun is an actor, and he has to remind himself of that over and over again the more he finds himself slowly spiraling out of control. Jaehyun is an actor, they have an agreement, and this is all just an act. Nothing is real.

 _Nothing is real._ Taeyong buries his face into his pillows and lets out a muffled scream. If it’s all just an act, then why would Jaehyun recommend him to Kim Doyoung even before personally knowing each other? That must mean something else, right?

_Stupid Taeyong! Of course it doesn’t!_

But what if _it does?_ He lifts his head from his pillow and stares at his bed’s headboard. He lets his eyes traces over the wooden structure, counting the lines running along the frame and only stopping when he reaches thirty six. He thinks of what Kim Doyoung told him during one of their sessions.

He wonders why Jaehyun didn’t tell him about it when he mentioned it to him after their first date. If he was the “friend” Doyoung has talked about, why did he say nothing when they formally met?

Should he thank him? Oh, my god, he probably should. But would that make a strain in their relationship? He feels indebted now. Is that why Jaehyun didn’t tell him? Because he didn’t want him to feel inferior especially since they’re in a weird arrangement?

He groans again. He pulls his his blanket over his head and he stays underneath for a couple of minutes. He stares at the white fabric hovering over his face, letting his fingers trace incoherent lines against the thick cloth as he continues to get lost in his own thoughts. He knows he shouldn’t be overthinking it, but he cannot help but to wonder what Jaehyun’s intentions are. And perhaps, he’s also somewhat curious. He places a hand on top of his chest and starts to count every heart beat that passes by. They drum against his ribs and reverberate through his palm, caressing his veins and pumping against them like a despicable beat. He thinks of Jaehyun again, and his heartbeat grows faster. He removes his hand on his chest and covers his face with his palms.

“What the fuck,” he mumbles against his hands. He keeps his eyes closed when he thinks of texting Jaehyun again. Should he?

He pulls the covers away from his body and swings his feet over the edge of the bed. He searches for his house slippers quietly, and when he doesn’t find them after a few minutes of searching, he opted to walk around his cold apartment with freezing feet. He grabs his phone from his nightstand and proceeds to push open one of his windows to look outside and get some fresh air.

“You’ve got to be fucking joking me,” he grumbles when the café from across the street has one of Jaehyun’s standees displayed in front of their shop. A cupsleeve? Right at this exact moment?

His phone buzzes from his hand. When he takes a look to see the caller ID, he lets out a string of curses under his breath. He pulls his window closed along with his curtains before answering Jaehyun’s call with a groan.

“Hello?” he says through the phone.

“Hey, hyung,” Jaehyun greets him from the other line.

Taeyong clenches his hand, curling his fingers into his palm and letting his nails dig into his skin, before letting them relax at his side. “Hey! What’s up?”

“Nothing, I just thought I’d call you since you haven’t texted me since last night.”

“Oh,” Taeyong walks over his bed and sits at the edge. “Sorry, I was busy.”

“I figured,” Jaehyun chuckles. “Anyway, that’s it. I just called to check up on you.”

Taeyong breaks out into a smile. Then, he frowns when he catches himself. “Uh, don’t worry,” he says. “I’m good.”

“Okay! I’ll see soon? I miss you, hyung.”

Taeyong’s breath hitches in his throat. He coughs once, covering his mouth with his hand. “Y-yeah,” he stammers. “I’ll see you soon.”

He ends the call with a groan. Damn those dimples!

* * *

From his penthouse, Jaehyun stands in front of a mirror in his pajamas. He is staring at his phone with a smile, grinning down at Taeyong’s contact name right after the call ended.

He runs his fingers through his hair and realizes that Johnny might be right this time around.


	2. Realization

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stage 2: Realization
> 
> Ice creams and a kiss.

Jaehyun balances the script on his lap. The edges are all worn down now with how frequent he had flipped them over in the last few weeks. He runs his index finger along the sides, careful with the ridges and bumps that came along his way as he continues to drag his hand down the corner. His room is quiet save for his loud breathing. There is an empty can of energy drink resting at the edge of his desk. His gaze fleets over to it and stares at the printed neon green logo.

He turns back to look down on his script. Dear M’s production is supposed to start soon, and he was already instructed to run over his lines and practice for the script reading being held some time this week, but the lack of word he’s gotten from Taeyong in the past two days have been bothering him non stop ever since the texts and calls came into a deafening halt. He shouldn’t be bothered considering how Taeyong is also busy with his work with Doyoung, but it has been exactly two days and seventeen hours since his last message, and the wait is eating him away.

He shifts on his seat. The energy drink is still standing untouched on his desk, and he thinks of flipping it off the edge with his fingers and stain his carpet out of frustration. He didn’t do anything wrong as far as he remembers. They even went on a short road trip the previous week to visit that one sunflower field everyone has been raving about for the past month. The traction they gained on both their social media platforms after posting a few pictures from the trip even managed to surpass Jaehyun’s most liked photo on Instagram, and as far as he remembers, nothing terrible happened on than trip other than the fact that a few people managed to recognize them while they were strolling around.

Should he call him? If he did, he would probably get cursed out for disturbing him in his work. He lets out a groan and throws back his head in frustration. Maybe he should visit him in his studio instead? Or should he ask Doyoung first if they’re available before stopping by? If he showed up without prior notice, Taeyong might only end up throwing another bottle of water at him. It already happened once when he tried to visit him after one of his shoots, and he had to cover the bruise on his forehead with _a lot_ of concealer to avoid another wave of scandals.

The can of energy drink is still sitting at the edge of his table when he decides to leave his spot. He grabs the drink with his free hand while he proceeds to scroll through his contact list to look for Taeyong’s agency’s number. Boa would most likely know where he is.

“Hello?”

“Noona, it’s Jaehyun,” he says through the phone. He walks over to his mini fridge and pulls the door open with his index finger. “I called to ask about Taeyong?”

“Oh? Is something wrong?”

“No, no, everything’s fine,” he muses. He puts the energy drink inside the freezer before pushing the door shut. “I was just wondering if you know where he is? I haven’t heard from him for almost three days now.”

“He didn’t tell you?” Boa asks as she starts to mutter incoherently over the line. He could already see her pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration. “I thought you were already with him?”

Jaehyun tilts his head to the side. “Tell me what?”

“He’s sick. I thought you knew about that?”

Jaehyun shifts on his feet. “Uhm, no. I thought he was just busy?”

“That kid...” she mutters angrily. “I’ll send you his address later. Do you mind checking up on him for today? If you’re not busy.”

“No, I’m not busy. I can visit him now if you want me to?”

“That would be great, Jaehyun. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, noona. Do you know the code to his apartment?”

“Yes. I’ll send it to you as well along with his address. Please update me from time to time. He tends to lock himself inside his room whenever this happens, so make sure he’s actually drinking his medicine and eating a lot of food.”

“Got it, noona. Thanks.”

He lets out a sigh after the call ended. He didn’t know Taeyong was sick, and no one – not even Doyoung – told him about it. If he had known, he would have already paid him a visit.

He arrives at Taeyong’s apartment complex an hour later with food and a bag full of fresh clothes that could last him until the next day. He’s not sure whether or not he would be able to spend the night, but he still brought some with him just in case anything happens. He inputs the apartment code Boa had provided him and quietly pushes the door open with his arm.

“Hello?” he calls out. “Taeyong?”

The place is empty. Literally. There is a small couch leather couch pushed against the stark walls, and Jaehyun wonders if it has been used before with how seamless it looks. There is a small coffee table situated in the middle of the room with patches of dried coffee staining the surface, and opposite to that is a small wooden shelf filled with stacks and stacks of CDs from differet artists he’s never herd of before. There is a thin layer of dust clinging on the surface, and if he loks close enough, he would see old copies of receipts from convenience stores wedged in between random CDs. He closes the door behind him with a click before making his way towards the couch. He sets down his bag with a grunt before bringing the boxes of food onto the coffee table, making sure to avoid the stains while doing so. His footsteps resonated all throughout the apartment. The place is _empty._ He turns to look at the staircase leading up to another floor and wonders if that’s where Taeyong sleeps.

“Who’s there?”

Jaehyun blinks once before answering, “Taeyong?” he calls out. He hears a low grunt, followed by the sounds of footsteps shuffling lazily over the floor. Jaehyun proceeds to stride over the staircase when he finally sees a mop of red hair appear from the small area above. “Hey! It’s me!” he calls out.

Taeyong peeks over the staircase and squints at him, his hair sticking out in all directions. “What are you doing here?”

“I brought you food!”

“What?”

Jaehyun gestures at the coffee table with a smile. “Boa noona told me you were sick so I brought you food and medicine. Can I come up?”

Taeyong turns his back against him while muttering curses under is breath. Jaehyun takes a step onto the stairs, then another. When he reaches the top, he finds Taeyong sprawled on top of his single bed with his face buried into his pillows. His left foot hung limply over the edge.

“You sleep here?” Jaehyun asks, crouching down to avoid hitting his head against the ceiling.

“No,” Taeyong answers, his voice muffled by the pillows. “But it’s warm here...”

Jaehyun scans the small area. Empty again. “Where do you sleep, then?”

“Downstairs...”

“On the couch?”

“Bed,” Taeyong grunts. “Studio.”

“You have a studio here?”

Taeyong groans into his pillows. Jaehyun walks over to him and tries to peel him off his bed. “Sorry, was I asking too much questions?” he asks as he reaches out to grab Taeyong’s wrist, recoiling when he feels his feverish skin against his palm. “Oh, shit, you’re burning!”

“No, shit,” Taeyong groans as he feels Jaehyun turning him onto his back. The latter immediately places a hand on top of his forehead to check his temperature, frowning when he sees Jaehyun’s face hovering over him. “Big face...”

“What?”

Taeyong shakes his head and proceeds to swat Jaehyun hand away from him. “I said you can leave now.”

“No-“

“Why?” Taeyong sits up from his bed, grunting. Jaehyun takes a careful step backwards before holding out both of his hands for him to take.

“Come on, hyung. Let’s come down and eat.”

“Didn’t I just tell you to leave?”

“Let’s eat first. After that, I’ll leave.”

“I don’t believe you.”

Taeyong sighs but still lets Jaehyun put a supporting arm around his waist. God, he forgot how awful it is to be sick. He should really take care of himself more. He can’t afford to miss a few more days of work if this flu persists. He constantly feels like he’s about to throw up.

“You look awful, hyung,” Jaehyun tells him while they slowly made their way down the stairs. Taeyong grunts at him and mutters a curse in which he only replied with a chuckle. “You’re so pale.”

“I’m sick, you dumb fuck. Have you ever thought about that?”

“Calm down, hyung. No need to get aggressive.”

Taeyong groans and throws his head back when he finally hits the couch with a quiet thud. He watches as Jaehyun prooceeds to grab a plastic bag from his coffee table and raises an eyebrow at him. He ignores the way his head is throbbing intensely and says, “What’s that?”

“Food!” Jaehyun holds up the plastic bag to his face. “You need to eat first before you take your medicine.”

“I don’t want to eat,” Taeyong whines. “I’m going to puke all over you.”

Jaehyun shrugs and kneels in front of the couch. “It’s alright,” he tells him as he takes out the food from the plastic bag. “You can have the soup instead.”

“You’re so-“ a cough, “annoying.”

Jaehyun grabs the bottle of water from his take outs and hands it over to Taeyong. “Drink up, hyung. After this, you can take your medicine.”

Taeyong frowns, stares at him indignantly, before taking the liquid from him. Jaehyun is smiling when he watches him chug down the water in one sitting. “Better?”

“Yeah,” Taeyong croaks.

They eat in silence after that, but Jaehyun’s occasional staring makes him want to scream and pull his hair out with how obnoxious it’s starting to become. Once in a while, Jaehyun would ask him if he’s already feeling better before stating random facts about chicken noodle soup and the side effects of stress on a human body. Seriously? Where did he get those information from? As fascinating as they sound, all he really wants right now is some peace and quiet. He would have to talk to Boa later on to have his apartment code changed.

“Are you going to leave now?” Taeyong asks after swallowing the medicinal tablet with the rest of his water.

Jaehyun nods. “Yeah, but I need to get you to bed first.”

“What am I, a 5-year-old?”

Jaehyun stands from his spot on the floor, grunting when his knees cracked from being strained too much, and holds out a hand to Taeyong. “Come on, hyung. Let’s get you to sleep.”

Taeyong rolls his eyes at him but proceeds to grab his arm for support. He sighs and leans against the actor’s chest when his legs started to shake under his weight. “You sound like my mom,” he says.

Jaehyun chuckles and starts to guide him through the small apartment. Taeyong points at a door standing opposite to the kitchen, clinging closer against Jaehyun.

“Is that a good thing?”

“Sure.”

Jaehyun finds that Taeyong’s room-slash-studio is much livelier than the rest of his apartment. His curtains are closed, but there is still a sliver of sunlight peeking through the corners when they entered, and Taeyong would have relaxed if not for the searing pain at the back of his head. It’s _cold._

“You good, hyung?”

“Yeah,” he nods as he feels his cold bed against his back. Finally. “I’ll just sleep this off. You can leave now.”

“You sure?” Jaehyun looks over him worriedly.

“Mm,” Taeyong nods before turning away from him. “Thanks, Jae.”

-

“Jesus fuck.”

Taeyong wakes up a few hours drenched in sweat, strands of his hair clinging messily against his forehead. He blinks once, stares at his ceiling for a few moments, before sitting up. It was already dark when he turns to look at his window. How long was he sleep for?

Groaning, he throws his feet over the edge of his bed and walks over to where his drawers are. He puts on a fresh t-shirt before throwing away his sweat shirt into his pile of dirty clothes. He stares at the wall for a minutes, still completely dazed from sleep, and very, very parched. His throat feels like it was scraped with a metal rod and ran over with sand papers repeatedly. He should probably drink more water now that he’s thought of it.

Weird, he thinks to himself while filling his glass with luke warm water. Definitely weird. He turns to look behind him, furrowing eyebrows in confusion when he realizes that his apartment does not seem too quiet today. In fact, it feels like someone is lurking around.

“Huh,” he turns to look at his glass of water. “Weird.”

It hits him not even a second after that. Slow music plays faintly from his small living room, and he almost trips on his feet trying to get there as fast as he could. Water splashes onto the side of his hand and drips down the ridges of his fingers, staining the floor wet behind him as he rushes to where the music is coming from.

“What the fuck,” he mutters under his breath when he sees Jaehyun sleeping on his small couch with his legs bent on weird angles to fit into the furniture. Taeyong stares at him, baffled.

There is a plastic of empty food containers on his small coffee table with a few of his CDs sitting beside it in a neat stack. He turns his head to look at his shelf to see his old CD player – the one where he initially thought was broken – fully functioning. He sets his glass of water on top of the coffee table and slowly makes his way towards Jaehyun’s sleeping figure.

He puts a hand on his shoulder to shake him awake. “Hey,” he says. “Wake up.”

Jaehyun starts to stir. Taeyong leans in closer and realizes that he’s snoring. He tries to shake him again. “Hey,” he says, louder this time. “I said wake up.”

Jaehyun opens his eyes and sees Taeyong leaning over him with a frown. “Oh, my god, you scared me.”

Taeyong takes a step back and raises an eyebrow. “What are you doing here?”

Jaehyun sits up from the coach while rubbing his right eye. He stretches his legs in front of him, still a bit dizzy from sleep, and when he turns to blink up at Taeyong, he says, “Sleeping.”

“No shit,” Taeyong deadpans. “Why are you still here? I thought you already left?”

“I was about to, but then I decided to listen to some of your CDs first,” he gestures at the pile sitting on top of the coffee table. “I think I fell asleep after that.”

“Don’t you have anything better to do?” Taeyong turns his back against him and walks over to grab his glass from the table. He takes a small sip from his water, sighing when the liquid finally refreshed his dry throat. “A schedule or something?”

“It’s my day off,” Jaehyun lets out another yawn. “Oh! How are you feeling, by the way? Do you still have a fever?”

Taeyong shrugs and gingerly picks up the stack of CDs on from the table. He walks over to his shelf and carefully inserts them one by one. “I’m fine now. Thanks.”

“That’s good to hear.”

Taeyong pulls out an old receipt and stares at it. “Are you leaving now?”

“Yeah. Why?”

“Do you want to go and get ice cream first? There’s a convenience store nearby.”

“You’re not supposed to be eating anything cold yet.”

Taeyong turns to him. “So? Do you want ice cream or not?”

Jaehyun nods nonetheless.

-

Jaehyun’s voice is muffled behind his face mask when he speaks, “Should I get sour cream or cheese?”

Taeyong glances at the potato chips in his hands. He shifts his weight on his right foot and points at the sour cream one. “This one,” he says before adjusting the black cap on top of his head. When they passed by a mirror earlier, he thought the two of them looked like a couple of burglars on their way to rob a bank. Hopefully, Jaehyun doesn’t get recognized.

“ButI l like this one better,” Jaehyun gestures at the cheese flavored chips.

“Then why did you ask for my opinion?” Taeyong glares at him.

“I thought you’d pick cheese.”

Taeyong shakes his head in annoyance before turning away to go to the frozen aisle section. Jaehyun does not follow him and instead continues to look through the array of junk food displayed on the shelves. Should he buy energy drinks, too? He only has one bottle left inside his refridgerator, and he might as well buy some now before his schedule gets hectic again and he forgets to buy groceries for the month. He grabs two more of the chips before leaving the aisle to look for his energy drinks.

“Do you know where the energy drinks are?” he whispers to Taeyong when he finds him rummaging through the ice cream freezer near the frozen aisle. “Also, one Melona for me. Thanks.”

“What flavor?” Taeyong turns to him and stares at the chips in his hands. “I’m not paying for that.”

“I have cash,” Jaehyun tells him. “Mango.”

Taeyong nods and grabs two mango flavored ice cream. Should he take a strawberry flavored one, too? He grabs two more of the popsicles.

“You’re going to eat all of that?” Jaehyun gapes at him.

“Yeah, why?”

“You’re sick-“

“I’m fine now, don’t worry about me. It’s just ice cream.”

Jaehyun shrugs before turning away to look for his energy drinks. After a few minutes of roaming around, he finds that they were all sold out. Taeyong askes him why he needed so much of the drink, to which he only responded with a shrug.

“I like it.”

“You’re going to have a heart attack.”

“That’s a bit of a stretch.”

“No, it’s not.”

Jaehyun ignores him and goes up to the counter. Taeyong pushes the ice cream in front before taking out his wallet from the pocket of his coat. Jaehyun shakes his head to stop him from taking out his cash.

“It’s fine, hyung. I’ll pay.”

Taeyong frowns at him. “Didn’t I tell you-“

Jaehyun brings a finger up to his mouth. Taeyong spares a glance at the cashier and sees him staring at them in confusion. Jaehyun adjust his cap and pulls it lower to cover his eyes. “Uh, how much is our total?” he asks, purposefully deepening his voice. Taeyong bites his lower lip and dips his head to stare at his shoes.

When they leave the store, he hands Jaehyun his ice cream with a grunt. “I think he recognized you.”

“Really?” Jaehyun takes the yellow ice cream from him, pulls down his mask, and tears the plastic with his teeth. He lowers his head and adjusts his cap when they pass by a group of teenage girls giggling in front of a drug store. “I think he was just confused.”

“He definitely recognized you.”

Jaehyun shrugs before biting off his ice cream. Taeyong winces, frowning when Jaehyun starts to chew on his dessert. Who bites ice creams?

He pulls his coat tighter against his body, shivering against the cold breeze as the two of them continued to stroll along the sidewalk. When he spots a nearby empty bench at the side, he grabs Jaehyun’s wrist and pulls him along despite his protests.

“My feet hurt,” he tells him, coughing lightly as he starts to rummage through his ice creams. He pulls out a strawberry flavored one and tears the plastic wrapper with one pull.

“I really don’t think you should be eating ice cream.”

“I don’t care,” Taeyong shrugs and pulls down his mask. “I’ll be fine. It’s just ice cream.”

“You feel better now, at least?”

Taeyong nods once while sucking at the tip of his popsicle. Jaehyun stares at him, blinking repeatedly in a haze. Huh.

“How did you find out I was sick, by the way? Boa noona told you?”

“Yeah, I called her to ask about you since you haven’t been texting me in the last couple of days.”

“Ah.”

Taeyong stares straight ahead and sees a poster of Kim Doyoung plastered against a random store’s window. He kicks his leg forward, wiggling his foot to relax his muscles, when he remembered something from a while ago. He shifts on his seat, wondering quietly if he should raise the question. Should he? Would it be weird if he did? He stares at the cracks on the sidewalk. Maybe he should.

“Hey,” he calls for Jaehyun.

Jaehyun takes another bite on his ice cream. “Hm?”

Taeyong swallows thickly and lowers his hand to rest against the bench. His ice cream starts to melt in his grip, dripping down the surface of their seat before hitting the pavement with a quiet splatter. People pass by them in a rush, not bothering to take a second look on their covered faces to see the celebrity calmly eating his ice cream at the side of the road in the middle of the night. The thought amused Taeyong to no end.

“You were the one who recommended me to Doyoung?”

Jaehyun stops chewing. “Yeah,” he admits easily. “Why?”

Taeyong continues to stare at the cracks. “Nothing,” he shrugs. “Why didn’t you tell me when I mentioned it to you?”

“I don’t know,” Jaehyun says thoughtfully. “Maybe I just didn’t want you to feel weird around me.”

“Why did you recommend me of all people? I mean,” Taeyong pauses to glance at him. Jaehyun is still holding onto his half eaten ice cream, already staring at him, “there are bigger names out there. Why me?”

Jaehyun shrugs. “Do I need to have a reason for that?”

Taeyong drops his gaze and wonders. Does he? He’s not entirely sure of that. Maybe, just maybe, he wants to be given an answer to prove himself wrong. That maybe Jaehyun is just as kind as he is genuine, and that him being the reason for the biggest opportunity he’s received so far is only because of the fact that Jaehyun liked the works he produced and nothing more. Definitely nothing more than that.

“You already knew me before we met,” he states. He clutches his plastic bag full of ice creams, wincing when the cold starts to seep against the fabric of his cloths. “How?”

Jaehyun chuckles and removes the cap he’s wearing over his head. “I saw you at a party.”

“Johnny’s?”

“A different one,” Jaehyun lilts. “Way before that. Your hair wasn’t red yet when we first met.”

Taeyong tilts his head to the side. “I don’t remember meeting you before, though?”

Jaehyun smiles. Of course. “It was nothing interesting, really,” he tells him, vividly remembering their first encounter, if he could even call it that. Just a simple, random night for him, and perhaps for Taeyong, too. “I think Wendy was the one who invited you? You produced one of her singles, remember?”

“Yeah,” Taeyong lilts. “I still don’t remember you.”

“It’s fine,” Jaehyun shrugs. “As I’ve said, it was nothing too interesting. Just a simple night.”

Taeyong lifts his ice cream to his face and stares at his stained fingers. Small world, he thinks to himself. What are the odds? If Jaehyun hadn’t known him prior to their encounter, would he have let him kiss him? Perhaps not. He kicks his other foot forward and lets the sole of his shoe graze against the concrete. He feels unsatisfied somehow, like Jaehyun’s answer is not enough for him to settle down. In fact, he feels more restless now. He got his answer, but it’s still not quite the answer he wants to receive. He might be becoming delusional at this point.

“You okay?” Jaehyun nudges his leg with his knee after a short while.

“Yeah,” Taeyong coughs. “Yeah, sorry, I was just thinking.”

“About?”

“You know, things...”

“Things like?”

Like us? Taeyong swipes his tongue over his lower lip and stares at his shoes. Sometimes, he’s starting to think of where the line between real and fake lies, and if he is still standing where he previously stood or if he has slowly pushed himself onto the other side. Jaehyun is a good actor; maybe even a bit _too good_ for his liking. After this—whatever _this_ is, this small, little thing they have—ends, would he have more to gain than what he was initially promised? Suddenly, the thought of recognition doesn’t sound too appealing if the price he’ll pay in the end is heartbreak.

Jaehyun dips his head down when he notices a couple a few meters away from them staring. “I think we should go,” he tells him before pulling back his mask over his face.

“Okay…”

-

Jaehyun leaves Taeyong’s apartment at midnight when Mark finally had the time to drop by. It was quiet after that.

Taeyong folds the receipt from the food they bought earlier and inserts it in between his collection of old CDs.

-

**_D-DAY_ **

“I think I’m going to faint.”

“Hyung, don’t worry. You’ll be fine! You look great!”

Taeyong grabs Jaehyun’s wrist and pulls him near his face, scowling deeply at his partner for the night as their limousine slowly comes into a halt. Flashing lights, Taeyong notes. He’ll probably never get used to them. He already feels suffocated, and his three piece suit tailored specifically for tonight definitely does not help in calming down his nerves.

“Easy for you to say,” Taeyong whines. “You’re used to this!”

Jaehyun grabs both of his shoulders and smiles at him. Taeyong stares at his exposed forehead. “Hyung, I promise you, nothing bad is going to happen! It’s just a red carpet!”

“Just a red carpet,” Taeyong repeats, dumbfounded. Jaehyun sighs and proceeds to tighten the older’s necktie. “Jaehyun, I don’t even know what the movie is about. What if they ask questions about it?”

“It’s just your usual coming of age romance movie, hyung,” Jaehyun shrugs. “Nothing too special. Now, are you ready?”

“Wait-“

The car door opens with a click. Taeyong’s breath hitches in his throat when he hears the screaming from outside. Too many people. _Jesus Christ._

“Remember to smile, hyung.”

Jaehyun steps outside first with his signature smile, dimples on full display just as how he trained himself to do while the unending blinding lights flashed right in front of his eyes. He holds out a hand for Taeyong to take, feeling a sudden leap in his chest when the latter accepts it without another word. He’s just as nervous as Taeyong, he realizes, and this is probably his first time getting nervous for a movie premiere during his entire career as an actor.

“Relax,” Jaehyun whispers to him as Taeyong hooks his arm around his. “It’s alright, hyung.”

“What if I trip?”

“I’ll catch you.”

Taeyong tried his best to steady his breathing. Smile, keep your chin up, do not mind the screaming, and remember to keep it as natural as possible. He wants to scoff at the thought. They already had a couple of months to practice looking as natural as possible, that shouldn’t be a problem for them anymore.

When they reached the end of the carpet, Taeyong’s mouth goes dry at the sight of an interviewer patiently waiting for them. He lets out a shaky breath and tries to steady his breathing. From behind them, Cha Eunwoo, one of the main actors in the movie, is still busy getting his pictures taken by the reporters. _Shit._ This is probably the worst experience of his life.

“And finally! We have the star of the night, Jung Jaehyun!”

Jaehyun greets the reporter with a compliment on her dress. Taeyong quietly steps aside to hide himself behind his _boyfriend._ Right. They’re a couple in front of all of these strangers. He spares a glance at the roaring crowd, blinking repeatedly at the flashing lights directed at him, and frowning when he notices a few people booing at him. His feet grow cold from underneath.

“Good evening,” Jaehyun says to the microphone. “It’s quite crowded tonight. I was not expecting that,” he chuckles.

“Well, of course it would be crowded tonight! Look at who you have with you!”

Taeyong shifts on his feet and tries to smile. Jaehyun snakes an arm around his waist and squeezes his side to relax him. He runs his thumb along the fabric of his suit, gently pressing onto him in an attempt to comfort and soothe him.

“It’s nice to meet you!” The reporter tells him.

Taeyong lets out a bashful smile. “Thank you. The pleasure is all mine.”

“And the two of you look so good tonight! How had the preparations been for the two of you?”

“Everything went well, thankfully,” Jaehyun chuckles. “It’s also Taeyongie hyung’s first red carpet tonight, so this night is really special for me. We had fun trying out different clothes just for this event.”

“That’s good to hear!” the reporter exclaims before turning the microphone towards Taeyong. Jaehyun’s grips tightens around his waist. _Keep steady. Relax._ “You look dashing tonight! Everyone’s been really curious about you after the news broke out. How has it been since then?”

“Uhm, well,” Taeyong shifts on his feet and tries to forget about the flashing cameras surrounding them. The screams are deafening, and it was accentuated by the fact that he could hear his name being thrown around in the background. He tries to relax against Jaehyun’s hold, pressing himself closer to him as much as possible. “Everything’s normal. It shocked us at first when the news came out, but we all know how the industry is. I’m just glad I could finally be here to personally support him as his partner. He’s always wanted to bring me with him, so I think it’s nice to finally be able to stand beside him instead of supporting him from behind the scenes.”

“That’s just lovely! Now, are you two excited to see the movie? I heard there are going to be a few _very_ memorable scenes included in the film. Would you mind elaborating on that?”

“Well, you know, it’s your typical coming of age romance movie,” Jaehyun muses, “but I think what sets it apart from the rest is that it is far more realistic and relatable? We tried integrating more of our actual selves while shooting to keep the emotions as raw as possible, and I think that itself really added charm into the overall film.”

“Would you say shooting it was challenging?”

“In a way, yes,” Jaehyun nods at her, “but you know, I had my partner supporting me from behind the scenes. I couldn’t have done it with him.”

Taeyong’s breath hitches in his throat. When they finally leave to enter the cinema, the rush of everything—from the blinding lights to the screaming to the way Jaehyun held him in his arm, _especially the way Jaehyun held him in his arm—_ comes crashing down into him in exhaustion, and he almost feels his knees buckle if not for Jaehyun’s arm still supporting him from behind.

“You okay?” he leans into him once they were out of the public eye. Taeyong detaches himself away from him, sighing.

“Yeah, I’m fine. It was just a lot.”

“I’m sorry, hyung.”

“It’s not your fault,” Taeyong tries to reassure him. “I’m just not really used to all of this.”

Jaehyun nods at him. After a few minutes, they were finally called in to the cinema before the premiering starts. Taeyong thinks he should feel elated at the sight of various celebrities greeting him and Jaehyun as they make their way towards their seat, but as they slowly settle down in quiet, he realizes just how different their lives are compared to each other. This is what fame and fortune looks like. Images that are desperately trying to be kept as neat as possible behind lavish dresses and words that never make sense most of the time. Jaehyun is an actor, Taeyong reminds himself, and yet his hold still lingers against the small of his back, against the curve of his waist. How much of it was real?

Taeyong feels like he’s got more to lose between the two of them.

He watches the movie and notices how similar Jaehyun acts in real life. _Nothing is real._

-

“You should attend the after party, Jaehyun,” Taeyong tells him as the two of them walk into the almost empty parking lot. The absence of flashing lights and screaming people somehow brought comfort to him during the late night. He would rather have this peace and quiet and would never trade it for the world. He wonders if Jaehyun ever gets tired of it.

“It’s fine, hyung,” Jaehyun shrugs as he holds onto the folded coat hanging off his arms. “They’re boring anyway.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah! I’d rather spend my time with you.”

Taeyong lowers his gaze onto the ground, halting his steps. Jaehyun continues to walk, unaware of the silence behind him against the deep night. When he turns to see him, Taeyong is still staring at the ground and silently watching as cracks slowly filled the pavement in broken stones. The latter sighs against the wind, lets his breathing flow with the cold breeze, before lifting his eyes back to see Jaehyun.

This, the person in front of him, is the same one thousands of people adore. Maybe, he thinks quietly to himself, maybe he’s not so different to the one he’s got to know over the few months of staying together. May e, just maybe, Jaehyun is still Jaehyun even when the cameras are not rolling.

It sounds too good to be true.

“Hyung? What’s wrong?”

“Are you sure you want to stay with me tonight?”

Jaehyun nods, his eyebrows furrowing confusion. “Yeah. I just told you that, didn’t I?”

_Why?_

Taeyong clenches his fist at his sides, curling his fingers and tucking them into his palm only for his fingernails to dig against his skin and create crescent marks that burned and throbbed the more he applies pressure. He doesn’t relax, at least not after a few seconds have passed and Jaehyun finally starts to approach him. His steps are careful, he notices.

“Is something wrong?”

His eyes flickers onto the nearby building from across the parking lot. Jaehyun holds out a hand and pulls him in for a hug. Taeyong’s eyes remain glued onto the person hiding in the dark from afar.

How much of this is real?

“Hyung,” Jaehyun mutters his name quietly. “Let’s go home?”

Taeyong clenches his jaw repeatedly. Once, twice, until he’s finally lost count. He wonders again, as Jaehyun’s arms grow tighter around his shoulders, if any of these are real, or if they are all just for show and nothing more. He buries his face into the crook of Jaehyun’s neck just as the flash goes off.

Jaehyun doesn’t notice.

_How much of this is real?_

-

The problem isn’t that Jaehyun is completely into fulfilling his role as a part of their agreement, but more on the fact that Taeyong is starting to lose grip of what is real and what is not the more seconds fly by through them. He’s dated people before, of course. He knows exactly how a romantic relationship works, and this—whatever this is that they have going on between the two of them—is not how it’s supposed to be. Which is why he cannot help but to wonder, as he stares at the passing blur of night lights from the car’s window, why he, of all people, is slowly starting to poorly distinguish the line separating his personal feelings and his work. He’s never been a fan of Jaehyun before. He’s seen maybe two or three of his dramas, but that was it. There was nothing before the “scandal” came out, and he thought there would still be nothing after they go through with their arrangement. They both signed their contracts and established their own boundaries, they clearly know what they were doing, but why does it seem like he’s the only one, out of the two of them, to be at a disadvantage?

Sure, he’s gotten his fair share of offers from different artists. He already has NCT Dream’s Haechan in his inbox after SM Entertainment offered to have him produce a song for their next Station, and he is already set to fly overseas to work with a previously well known artist who is currently residing in the US and is planning on making her come back soon. The media frenzy surrounding his and Jaehyun’s name definitely boosted his career as a music producer, but why does it suddenly feel as though he’s getting the shorter end of the bargain?

He spares a glance at Jaehyun when they stop at a red light. Does he ever think of their relationship the same way Taeyong does? Does he stay up late at night, too, wondering if there are more to the kisses they share for the cameras, to the silly pictures they take, and the way they still laugh and act the same even when people are not around to witness them? Because Taeyong does. More often than he would like to admit. And it drives him mad because it seems as though Jaehyun is just as kind as he is genuine, but sometimes it is slowly becoming harder for him to determine if his kindness is just a part of who he is as an actor, or if his genuineness is who he really is when the cameras are not rolling and all there is to him is quiet and peace.

How much of Jaehyun is real and how much of him is an act made to please the public? If Taeyong were to strip him bare, would he finally get to know who he really is? And if he does, would he finally get the answer he’s been waiting for? He knows he is bound to get disappointed one way or another. Of course, he is. Because at the end of the day, no matter how real the two of them may seem to the eyes of thousands of spectators, it would never change the fact they are nothing more than colleagues roped into an unfortunate agreement to save their faces.

But that still does not change the fact that he is confused, and perhaps his confusion is slowly leading up to something more. Something more humane and recognizable, and not just an act made for the public to see.

“Are you okay, hyung?”

“Mhm,” Taeyong sighs leans his head against the window. “Just tired.”

“We’re almost there, don’t worry.”

Taeyong ignores him and continues to look out the window. Jaehyun only listens to the sighs he lets out until they reach Taeyong’s apartment complex.

“Do you want to eat first before you go?” Taeyong asks him as he inputs his apartment code.

Jaehyun shakes his head. “I’m fine,” he says. “I can have my manager order me food and deliver it to my house instead.”

“You sure?” Taeyong spares one last glance at him.

“Yeah,” Jaehyun lilts, nodding once before stepping aside to let Taeyong enter his apartment. It is dark inside, he notices, and emptier compared to the last time he visited. The coffee table is gone now. “Take care, hyung. Good night.”

Taeyong bites down on his lower lip and watches him slowly back away. “Wait,” he says.

“Yeah?” Jaehyun perks up before taking a step forward. Taeyong stares at him, trying to memorize the way he looked tonight with his neatly styled hair and his crisp suit, with his smile that never seemed to waver even when darkness has already loomed over their heads, and the way his dimples curved the corners of his cheeks. _Especially the way his dimples curved the corners of his cheeks._

Taeyong wraps his fingers around Jaehyun’s wrist and slowly pulls him towards him. He leans in, lets his eyes flutter close, before pressing a soft kiss onto Jaehyun’s lips.

Jaehyun sighs and remembers the night of the party. _It’s him._

“Good night,” Taeyong whispers, pulling away with a timid smile. “I’ll see you soon.”

“Yeah,” Jaehyun breathes. “Okay…”

-

Jaehyun thinks about the kiss for a week.

He thinks about the silly little kiss they shared after the movie premiere and compares it to the ones they have had before. It was nothing special, just a quick peck. A fleeting moment for the both of them that would have already been forgotten minutes later, except it wasn’t. Jaehyun continues to think about it even when days have already passed. He’s kissed Taeyong before, way too many times to even count in both hands, but the one they shared the last time they saw each other, that one fleeting moment that left as soon as it arrived, is the only one to leave a mark in him. It was just a _kiss._ A simple peck on the lips.

Johnny has his back laid flat against the surface of Jaehyun’s sofa, his feet draped over the inside arm as he listens to Jaehyun recite his lines to him. There are empty bottles of energy drinks scattered around them. Johnny grabs one from the floor and squeezes it tightly with his hand, yelping with a spurt of liquid flows down from the side of his hands.

Jaehyun groans and throws his head back in frustration. “I don’t like this,” he says.

“What?” Johnny sits up from the sofa, grunting. He pushes the can away from himself to avoid staining the couch. “Are you talking about your lines or what?”

“No, not my lines,” Jaehyun tells him, sighing when he realizes he’s starting to crumple the pages of his own copy. “I’m thinking about Taeyong hyung.”

“And? What about him?”

“We kissed.”

“Again, and? Don’t you do that with him all the time? There are pictures all over the internet, Jae.”

Sighing, Jaehyun runs a hand through his hair. He stares at the script he’s holding, watching as the words start to swim right in front of his already too strained eyes after reading through them repearedly for the past hour. He still can’t seem to get his emotions in check. If this continues, he might get in trouble soon.

“We kissed,” he repeats, quieter this time. “He’s the one who initiated it.”

Johnny stares at him.

“He kissed me first is what I’m trying to say.”

“I know, Jae, I’m not dumb,” Johnny shifts of the sofa. He wipes the back of his hand onto the fabric of his jeans, wincing at the stickiness clinging onto his skin. He pulls out a tissue from the console table and tries to wipe again, “but I don’t see why that’s a big deal to you.”

“He never kisses me first,” Jaehyun muses. “And he kissed me even when cameras were not around us. What does that mean?”

Johnny raises an eyebrow. Is that unusual for the both of them? “I don’t know,” he shrugs. “Is he not supposed to do that?”

“He’s not my boyfriend.”

“Technically, he is.”

“Not when we’re alone! He’s more of a colleague, you know?”

“I’m… not so sure about that.”

Jaehyun sighs before plopping himself onto his bean bag with a groan. “I’m so confused,” he mutters, staring at the ceiling with wide eyes. “Do you think he likes me?”

Johnny pauses. “Maybe?”

Jaehyun sits up abruptly from his spot. “Really?”

“No.”

“Fuck you,” Jaehyun plops himself right back onto the bean bag and lets his back hit the chair’s surface with a soft thud. “I just don’t get why he kissed me first.”

“Why is it a big deal, anyway?” Johnny asks as he approaches the kitchen. When he reaches the sink, he goes over the sink to wash his hands. “You’ve kissed him plenty of times before. How come it’s different this time?”

Jaehyun doesn’t answer from the living room.

“Is it because you like him already?”

Jaehyun swipes his tongue over his lower lip. He palms at the fabric of his bean bag, feeling the smoothness of the velvet fabric against the rough callouses of his hand. Does he like him? He’s had a crush on him once—maybe he still has, maybe it never really left—but that was all there is to it and nothing more. Is their arrangement convenient for him? Maybe. Does he want it to end? He’s not entirely sure of that yet. Would he want to try and see if they would work as an actual couple?

Yes?

“I don’t know.”

Johnny comes back from the kitchen with a glass of water in hand. “What do you mean you don’t know? You don’t know if you like him?”

“Yeah.”

“You’re as dumb as a piece of brick.”

Jaehyun runs both of his palms across his face and lets out an exasperated sigh. “Can you blame me?”

“Just tell him you like him.”

“You know it’s not as easy as it sounds!”

“Are you afraid of getting rejected?”

“Uh,” Jaehyun stares at the ceiling. “No.”

“Liar.”

“I’m not, I swear.”

Sighing, Jaehyun sits up from his seat and spares a quick glance at his nest friend. Johnny quietly sips on his drink, shrugging when he raises an eyebrow at him. His Dear M script sits quietly on top of his lap, its edges all crumpled and already close to tearing apart.

“What’s holding you back, then?”

Jaehyun lowers his gaze onto his lap. What is holding him back?

“I think,” he trails off, “we’re not on the same page. I like him enough to realize that I would want to keep our arrangement for as long as possible until we finally figure out our feelings, but what if he’s not yet ready for that?”

“You can always talk to him, Jae. He’s the only one who can answer your questions and not me,” Johnny shrugs at him. “If you think the kiss meant something more, then ask him about it. It’s better if you do it early on instead of waiting for anything to happen until the two of you finally announce your supposed break up to the public in a couple of months.”

“He’s very confusing,” Jaehyun sighs.

“I’m sure he’s just as confused as you. Did you tell him how you first met him?”

Jaehyun his head, and Johnny frowns. “Why?”

“I don’t think it’s necessary.”

“You’re really as dumb as a fucking brick.”

“I’m not about to tell him about my crush on him! Imagine how creeped out he would be if I did!”

“You would sound more genuine if you do!”

Jaehyun frowns at him. “I don’t think that would change anything. I just happened to meet him and form a silly little crush on him. That’s it.”

“You sound like a teenager,” Johnny snorts. He throws him a glare, his frown deepening. “Seriously, though. You should talk to him and see how it goes.”

Jaehyun heaves out a heavy sigh and stares at the crumpled can of energy drink from across him.

-

**TO: taeyong hyung [11:34PM]**

Hey, hyung! Are you free tomorrow? I wanted to talk to you about something.

**FROM: taeyong hyung [11:37PM]**

Hey! Sorry, I can’t. I have something on my schedule tomorrow. Maybe next time? I’ll call you.

**TO: taeyong hyung [11:38PM]**

Okay. _[read]_

-

Taeyong doesn’t call him. He stares at the ceramic vase placed right in the middle of the wooden table, thinking quietly to himself as he continues to repeatedly bite the inside of his cheek. He swipes his tongue over his lower lip and tugs at the taut skin in between his teeth. He presses the pad of his tongue against the roof of his mouth, licking at the ridges behind his front teeth as he tries to ease away the tension creeping up to him. Boa is sitting quietly from across him. She is quiet as she flips through some of the documents resting on her lap. He glances back at the vase ans stares at the wilting flowers. It’s been exactly one week since he last talked to Jaehyun.

He shifts on his seat and lets his eyes dart around the room—from the windows, to the empty seats, and onto the glass door that remains unmoving. Where are they?

“They’re late, noona,” he says, glancing back at Boa with an eyebrow raised.

“Mhm?” Boa turns to look at him. A few strands of her hair fell over her face. “What is it?”

“They’re late.”

“Yes,” she nods, “but they’re already on their way. Jaehyun is busy with shooting his new drama.”

Taeyong raises an eyebrow at her. “Drama?”

“Dear M? You haven’t heard about it?”

“No,” he shakes his head. “I don’t check the news about him.”

“Why?”

He shrugs. Why should he? He tried it once, but the amount of negative comments pertaining to his name stressed him out too much for him to repeat it for the second time. It’s not worth his time and energy, anyway.

Boa sighs and puts the folder down onto the desk. She tugs at the sleeves of her suit, pulling at the fabric to cover her wrists as she carefully watches Taeyong under her gaze. “You good?” she asks, leaning back to rest her back flat against her chair.

“Yeah…” Taeyong trails off, shrugging. “I was just thinking about something.”

“Is it Jaehyun?”

“What?”

Boa grins at him. “Are you thinking about him?”

“Something like that, yeah.”

Taeyong shrugs and turns his attention towards the ceramic vase resting in the middle of the table. He stares at the wilting flower inside, notices the browning petals and the thin stem slowly drooping down into a curve against the container. He crosses his arms over his chest, frowning when he asks, “How do you know if you like someone?”

Boa perks up, her eyes wodening momentarily before she catches herself. “Why are you asking?”

“Nothing,” Taeyong says. “Just curious.”

“Well, I think it depends on the person.”

“Oh,” Taeyong huffs out a breath. Should he tell her? He probably should. He glances at her for a quick moment, clearing his throat quietly before saying, “I don’t think I want to end my arrangement with Jaehyun.”

Boa pauses, and he watches as her mouth slowly fell agape. She stares at him with wide eyes. Taeyong waits for her response, shifting occasionally on his seat as he picks against the corners of his nails. His knees are starting to bounce from underneath the table, the heel of his foot clicking against the floor with light thuds. She opens her mouth and was about to say something when the door opens with a groan. Taeyong’s eyes flicker momentarily onto Yunho before trailing his gaze onto the man behind him.

Dimples. Taeyong’s breath hitches in his throat, and he stiffles a small yelp. Jaehyun’s hair is trimmed shorter, he notices, as he stands up to greet them. He wonders how it would feel if he were to run his fingers through them, if he would fall short the moment he does. He thinks about it quietly before catching himself. Jaehyun furrows his eyebrows when Taeyong tears his gaze away from him.

One week. Jaehyun waited for one whole week only to realize later on that Taeyong would never give him a call. It shouldn’t be an issue to him in the first place. After all, Taeyong is not required to keep in touch with him every single day, but for some reason, he felt as though he owes him an explanation especially after the kiss they shared from two weeks ago. What was the kiss for, and why did Taeyong have to kiss him even when he didn’t have to? Would he finally get his answer if he asks him? He watches Taeyong in quiet all throughout the meeting, thinking all to himself.

“There are already a few media outlets suspecting about the break up,” Yunho tells them. “Since you two haven’t been that active on social media compared to the last few months. I think it would be better if the two of you would still continue the act for a few more weeks instead of going in straight into the plan. We can announce it around next month, or maybe the month afte that-“laying low immediately after the premiere. We can still stage one or two acts here and there while Jaehyun is still shooting for Dear M.”

“Do we have to?” Jaehyun interrupts. Taeyong swallows thickly, lets his finger tap against his lap multiple times, before sparing him a quick glance. Jaehyun isn’t looking at him when he turns his head slightly to the side, and it makes him wonder if he had done aything wrong to have his complete attention this time. The air is thick between the two of them, and it only grows thicker by the seconds.

“Do you not want to?” Yunho raises an eyebrow at him before turning to Boa. “What do you think?”

Boa then turns to look at Taeyong. He shifts on his seat and rests his elbows against the edge of the table. Jaehyun’s eyes flicker onto him for a moment, watching as he sighs through his nose, his shoulders sagging the more he dips against his chair. When Taeyong seems to be hesitating with his answer, he lowers his gaze and proceeds to stare at his fingers.

“Taeyong?” Boa calls.

“Uhm,” Taeyong swipes his tongue over his lower lip. He tugs at the hem of his sleeves impatiently. “Can we talk about this privately, first?”

“What?”

“Jaehyun and I,” he states. “Can we talk in private for a while?”

Yunho shoots Jaehyun a glance, but the actor remains seated on his seat even after Boa and Yunho left the room quietly. Silence hung in the air thickly, and Taeyong finds himself slowly getting suffocated as he continues to fidget on his chair. He clears his throat when he meets Jaehyun’s stare. What should he say?

“Hyung,” Jaehyun calls for him. Taeyong tighten’s his grip on the fabric of his clothes. “What is it?”

Taeyong swallows thickly. “How are you?”

Jaehyun raises an eyebrow at him, a smile forming on his lips as he starts to twist on his chair. “Really?” he mutters. “That’s all you’re going to say? How are you?”

“What else am I supposed to say, then?”

Jaehyun shrugs, biting down on his lower lip. “You could have called, you know? You didn’t contact me for two weeks.”

“I was busy...”

“I know, hyung,” Jaehyun sighs. “So was I.”

Taeyong lowers his gaze onto his lap and stares at the lines crossing over his palms in broken ends. He traces the tip of his index finger along the ridges, feeling his own roughness and remembering how they used to be much softer before.

“Sorry,” he mutters. “I just thought we wouldn’t have to keep in touch anymore especially since the premiere already ended. I didn’t want to impose.”

“Is that why you kissed me, hyung?” Jaehyun scoffs. “As a parting gift?”

Taeyong lifts his head to meet his gaze. Jaehyun is biting the inside of his cheek, visibly irritated by the fact that they ended on _that_ note. A kiss. A stupid, silly, little kiss.

“The kiss...” Taeyong trails off. “You’ve been thinking about the kiss?”

“What else am I supposed to do, hyung? Forget about it?”

Taeyong shrugs. “I don’t know...”

“Why did you kiss me, then?”

Jaehyun curls his hand into a fist. There are three things he had been thinking about for the past few days after Taeyong decided to ignore him for the time being: 1. The kiss meant much more to him than how he had initially expected despite it lasting for only a couple of seconds, 2. He hates waiting, but he finds that he hates it more when he’s waiting for an indefinite answer from Taeyong, and 3. Johnny is definitely right about him being a love sick fool.

He thinks back to the night of the party where he first met him and got himself realizing that Taeyong’s impulsiveness had already been a part of why he is drawn to him. Taeyong, still a mere stranger to him then, had entered his life in a whirlwind of actions that had left him deeply rooted on his own _silly little crush_ that it eventually turned not so little after finding himself awake in the middle of the night multiple times and thinking about him and his rose shaped scar.

“Do I need to have a reason for that?” Taeyong sighs.

Jaehyun frowns at him. “Hyung, you’re making this so much harder for me.”

“Why?” Taeyong leans against the table, his voice eager.

“Maybe because I like you?”

Taeyong pauses. His palms are rough when he presses them together.

“I always have. Even before we got into this arrangement, I already liked you.”

“You’re lying...”

Jaehyun shakes his head. “Why would I be lying, hyung?” he asks. “What’s the point? If anything else, I should be the one asking you questions. Why did you kiss me?”

Taeyong remains quiet.

“Hyung,” Jaehyun calls for him again, louder this time. “Why did you kiss me?” he repeats.

“I...” Taeyong sighs and runs a hand through his hair. “I think I like you, too.”

Jaehyun raises an eyebrow. “You think?”

“Yeah,”’ Taeyong says, nodding. “And I also think I don’t want to end this arrangement. At least, not any time soon.”

“Really?”

“Yes,” Taeyong smiles at him. “I’ve been thinking about it for quite a while now, but I didn’t know how to approach you especially after the, uhm, kiss.”

“Me, too,” Jaehyun says, breathless. “I’ve been thinking about it, too. I’ve been thinking about you.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

Taeyong grins at him, finally feeling relieved of the weight resting on his shoulders for weeks now. When Jaehyun returns his smile, he watches, enamored, as the same deep set of dimples appeared on both sides of his cheeks. They are still as endearing as he remembers.

“What do we do now, hyung?” Jaehyun asks.

Taeyong shrugs. He tugs at the hem of his sleeves, pokes at the inside if his palm, and says, “Whatever we want.”

-

It started like that. A picture was published over the weekend by some well known news outlet known for exposing celebrity couples. Taeyong only laughs at the published articles now, finding them absurd and quite over the top with how desperate they are for clicks and engagement.

“Cut!”

Taeyong smiles when he sees his boyfriend approaching him. Jaehyun jogs over to him, still breathless from the scene he was previously shooting.

“You did great,” Taeyong says as he hands him over a bottle of water. Jaehyun mutters a thanks before chugging it down, panting heavily after he finishes. “You still have a few more scenes left for today, right?”

“Mhm,” Jaehyun nods before pressing a quick kiss onto his lips. “Are you staying until then? We might finish late.”

“It’s fine,” Taeyong tells him. “I have nothing to do, anyway.”

Jaehyun nods before leaning down to press another kiss on his lips. When he pulls away, he says, “I have to go now, then.”

“Okay,” Taeyong smiles. “I’ll be here. Waiting.”

Jaehyun grins before turning his back against him.

“Okay! Back to one, people!” the director shouts. Taeyong takes a seat on a nearby corner as the cameras startedrolling. He squints at the blinding lights. “And action!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> back to one - back to the beginning of the scene
> 
> -
> 
> this isn't the last part! at least, not yet. this series is still on-going, meaning i will be releasing more one shots focusing on other stuff (like their first meeting, the night before the dating issue came up, their dates, etc.) in the near future to elaborate more on their relationship before, during, and after the arrangement. 
> 
> anyway, thanks for reading! happy new year!
> 
> twt: @yzhangml

**Author's Note:**

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